Olympic drug testing lab loses accreditation just before Games
The World Anti-Doping Agency has suspended its accreditation of the Rio de Janeiro laboratory responsible for analyzing athlete samples during the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The suspension -- the latest in a series of snafus for the upcoming Games -- was announced Friday, less than two months before the opening ceremony.
Anti-doping officials expressed concern that operations at the lab have not met international standards. All samples will now be securely transported to WADA-approved labs in other locations.
“This will ensure that there are no gaps in the anti-doping sample analysis procedures; and that, the integrity of the samples is fully maintained,” Olivier Niggli, the incoming director-general for WADA, said in a statement. “Athletes can have confidence that the suspension will only be lifted by WADA when the laboratory is operating optimally.”
Rio officials have 21 days to appeal the decision. WADA has vowed to assist in bringing the lab up to code.
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